Hair removing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A hair removing apparatus has hair removing device ( 13 ) for at least partially removing hair projecting from a skin; a liquid channel ( 16 ) leading to a liquid outlet ( 12 ); a pump ( 5 ) for causing liquid displacement through the liquid channel to the liquid outlet; a motor ( 1 ) coupled to the hair removing device ( 13 ); a transmission coupled to the motor ( 1 ) and to the pump ( 5 ); and a control structure ( 4,7 - 9 ) operable between at least a first and a second operating condition for dispensing liquid at different rates. The control structure ( 4,7 - 9 ) is arranged for controlling amounts of movement transmitted by the transmission to the pump such that, in the first and second operating conditions, different amounts of movement are transmitted by the transmission to the pump.

The invention relates to an electric personal care device such as forexample a shaver, an epilator, or an oral care device.

From German patent application 199 07 224, a liquid container for a hairremoving apparatus is known, which liquid container is provided with apump. The pump is driven by the electromotor of the hair removingapparatus via a pivotable double rocker arm of the hair removingapparatus, of which one arm repetitively pushes in a resilient membraneof the pump. The pump is attached to the liquid container and can beactivated and deactivated by shifting the container with respect to thehousing of the hair removing apparatus to which the double rocker armand the electromotor are attached. By shifting the container in onedirection, the membrane is caused to be engaged by the reciprocativelymoving arm of the double rocker arm causing the pumping action of themembrane to be driven. If the container is shifted back, the membrane isdisengaged again from the double rocker arm so that the pumping actionis discontinued. The liquid is dispensed from a porous dispensing memberupon contact between that dispensing member and the skin. Liquid flowthrough a return channel back to the container causes the liquidpressure in the dispensing member to be limited such that the liquid isnot dispensed from the dispensing member in absence of contact to theskin. The dosage of liquid can be controlled by varying the exposedsurface of the porous dispensing member that contacts the skin if thedispensing member is pressed against the skin.

A disadvantage of this known apparatus is that the structure forcontrolling the rate at which liquid is dispensed is relativelycomplicated. Furthermore, the liquid in the porous dispensing member isexposed to the environment over a relatively large surface and theviscosity of the liquid has a relatively important influence on the rateat which the liquid is dispensed. Furthermore, the return of liquid fromthe dispensing member increases the risk of contamination. The use of adisinfectant to reduce such risks increases the risk of causing skinirritation and/or allergic reactions.

From U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,618, a shaving device with an integral lotiondispensing means is known. The dispensing means comprises a lotionchamber having a flexible membrane wall. A rotating cam driven by themotor of the shaver repetitively pushes the membrane and thereby urgeslotion out of the chamber and through the liquid channel. The dispensingmeans can are turned on and off with the motor of the shaver. Thus, itis not possible to shave without lotion being dispensed unless thechamber is empty. Also the rate at which lotion is dispensed cannot becontrolled.

From German patent application 1 703 761, another electric shaver with aliquid dispenser for applying liquid to the skin while shaving is known.The liquid is applied either by rolling a roller of liquid absorbingmaterial over the skin or by spraying the liquid through or from theshaving head of the shaver. It is not described whether or how theamounts of dispensed liquid are controlled.

It is an object of the invention to provide a more simple solution forcontrolling the rate at which liquid is dispensed from a motorizedpersonal care device in which motion for dispensing the liquid istransferred from the motor for driving the device. A further object isto provide a solution which does not require the return of liquid to thecontainer.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing anelectric personal care device according to claim 1.

By controlling amounts of movement transmitted from the motor fordriving the device to at least the movable part of the pump such that,in the first and second operating conditions, different amounts ofmovement are transmitted by the transmission to at least the movablepart of the pump, the rate at which liquid is dispensed can becontrolled in a simple manner.

Specific embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependentclaims. Further aspects, effects and details of the invention aredescribed with reference to the attached drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a partially cutaway side view of an exampleof an embodiment of a hair removing apparatus according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 schematically shows an exploded view of the pump of the exampleshown in FIG. 1 in more detail, and

FIG. 3 schematically shows a partially cutaway front view of the pushingmember of the example shown in FIG. 1.

The example of a personal care device according to the invention shownin the drawing is an electric shaver. The shaver has a housing 15 withthree hair removing devices, in the present example shaving heads 13 forshaving off hair of a part of the skin, for example facial hair. In use,the shaving heads 13 are driven by an electromotor 1. These and variousother types of shaving heads, which may include rotating or oscillatingknives, and driving structures thereof are known as such in the art andtherefore not described in detail.

The housing 15 accommodates a liquid reservoir 6 connected via a liquidchannel 16 to a liquid outlet 12. The liquid channel 16 is provided withand extends through a pump 5 for pumping liquid, such as shaving lotionor cream, through the channel 16 to the liquid outlet 12. The pump 5 hasa resilient wall 10 partially enclosing an internal space 19 that ispart of the liquid channel 5. According to the present example, the pump5 is a membrane pump, as is known per se in the art.

For transferring motion from the motor 1 to the pump 5 and to theshaving heads 13, the shaver includes a transmission coupled to themotor 1 and to movable parts of the pump 5 and of the shaving heads 13.Thus, the same transmission assembly is used for driving both the pump 5and the hair removing assembly 13.

The transmission includes a toothed distribution gear wheel 2 coupledvia internal teeth 26 to a pinion 25 on a drive shaft 17 of the motor 1.External teeth 27 of the distribution gear wheel 2 engage pinion wheels40 on drive shafts 42 of the shaving heads 13. The transmission furtherincludes a drive pin 11 positioned off-center on a face of thedistribution gear wheel 2 facing away from the drive shaft 17, whichdrive pin 11 engages in a slot 18 in a proximal end 32 of an elongatepushing member 3. The pushing member 3 is pivotably suspended to thehousing by a journal pin 14 spaced from the position where the drive pin11 engages the pushing member 3. In operation, the motor 1 causes itsdrive shaft 17 to rotate. The drive shaft 1 drives rotation of thedistribution gear wheel 2. In turn, the distribution gear wheel 2entrains the pinions on the drive shafts of the shaving heads so thatthe knives of the shaving heads are rotated for cutting off hairsprojecting through slots in the stationary screens of the shaving heads13. Furthermore, rotation of the drive pin 11 about the axis of thedistribution gear wheel 2 causes an oscillating movement of the pushingmember 3 about the journal pin 14. This results in a pendular motion ofthe distal end 31 of the pushing member 3 opposite its proximal end 32between a pushing position and a return position.

In the pushing position (shown in fall lines in FIG. 3), the pushingmember 3 keeps the resilient wall 10 displaced inwardly with respect tothe internal space 19 compared with a position of the resilient wall 10when the pushing member is in its return position 3′ (shown indot-and-dash lines in FIG. 3). According the present example, thiseffect is achieved since the pushing member 3 in its pushing positionpushes against the control member 4, which is thereby displaced towardsthe resilient wall 10. In turn, the control member 4 pushes against theresilient wall 10 causing that wall to be displaced inwardly withrespect to the internal space 19. When the pushing member 3 moves to itsreturn position 3′, the control member 4 and the resilient wall 10 areallowed to return from the inwardly displaced position towards a moreoutwardly located position.

In operation, the oscillating movements of the pushing member 3 causethe volume of the internal space 19 to vary accordingly in anoscillating manner. In combination with the action of one way valvesupstream and downstream from the internal space 19 allowing liquid flowin downstream direction only (or at least restricting it less than inupstream direction), the variations of the volume of the internal space19 result in a pumping action as indicated by arrows 20, 21 in FIG. 2,causing liquid in the channel 5 to flow towards the outlet 12.

In the present example a membrane 22 forms the one-way valve. However,it is likewise possible to use other type of pumps driven by the motorvia a transmission that also drives the hair removing means.

Electrically connected to the electromotor 1 is a switch 126 on theoutside of the housing 15 with which the electromotor 1 can be switched“on” and “off”.

The control member 4 is arranged to control the displacement of theresilient wall 10 between the positions associated with the pushing andreturn positions of the pushing member 3 such that, in differentoperating conditions, a movement of the pushing member 3 from thepushing position to the return position and back causes differentamounts of displacement of the resilient wall 10.

As is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the control member of the controlstructure is positioned between the resilient part 10 and the pushingmember 3. The pushing member 2, control member 4 and the resilient part10 are positioned such that, in use, the pushing member 3 and theresilient wall 10 are in contact with the control member 4 during atleast a part of the pumping cycle. Thus during at least a part of thepumping cycle, the pushing member 3 pushes the resilient wall 10inwardly.

The control member 4 has a thickness in the pushing direction from thepushing member 3 to the resilient part 10 that varies in a directiontransverse to the pushing direction. Moreover, control member is movablein the transverse direction with respect to the pushing member 3 and theresilient wall 10. Thus, the thickness of the portion of the controlmember 4 located between the pushing member 3 and the resilient wall 10and contacting these parts, when the apparatus is in operation, can bevaried. If a thin portion of the control member 4 is located between thepushing member 3 and the resilient wall 10 and contacts these parts asshown in 4A, when the apparatus is in operation, a part of the pushingmotion of the distal end 31 of the pushing member 3 most remote from theresilient wall 10 is not transferred to the resilient wall 10.Accordingly some of the pushing motion is lost and only a portion of thepushing motion is transferred to the resilient wall 10. This results ina reduced pumping action of the pump 5. The thicker the portion of thecontrol member 4 that is located between the pushing member 3 and theresilient wall 10 and that contacts these parts as shown in 4B, when theapparatus is in operation, the less pushing motion is lost and the moreintensive the pumping action and, hence, the rate at which liquid isdispensed is. Conversely, it can be provided that, if the control member4 is completely shifted out of the range of movement in which thepushing member 3 tumbles, there is no pumping action at all.

According to the present example, the control member 4 is wedge-shaped.This allows a continuously variable rate at which the liquid isdispensed. Moreover, the direction in which the thickness of thewedge-shaped control member 4 increases coincides with the direction inwhich the distal end 31 of the pushing member 2 moves transversally tothe pushing direction as it moves from the return position to thepushing position. This causes the pumping action to be increased andeven allows to use a pushing member that does not move in pushingdirection when moving from the return position to the extended position.The extended position would then only be more extended than the returnposition in the sense that it causes the control member to move inpushing direction.

Since the control member 4 is movable in a direction transverse to thepushing direction from the pushing member 3 to the resilient wall 10 itis not prone to being displaced due to the pushing action by the pushingmember 3.

As is shown in FIG. 3, a strip 7 projects from the control member 4 in adirection transverse to the pushing direction. Thus, a simple solutionis provided for operating the control member 4 a position spaced fromthe control member 4, for instance, as in the present example, at theoutside of the housing 15.

Furthermore, a portion of the strip 7 remote from the control member 4extends along a curve 23 contiguous with a next operable portion 24 ofthe strip 7 extending along an operating path. Portions of the housing15 directly adjacent to the operating path extend parallel to directlyadjacent portions of that operating path. Thus, the position of thecontrol member 7 can easily be controlled by shifting an operableportion 24 of the strip 7 along directly adjacent portions of thehousing 15, similar to the way a thumb wheel is operated. To furtherfacilitate operation, the operable portion 24 of the strip 7 is providedwith a knob 9.

Since the curved portion 23 of the strip 7 extends about the pump and iscontiguous with the operable portion 24 extending along the operatingpath, the control member 4, which is located in a position between thepump 5 and the transmission, can be operated from a position at theoutside of the pump 5.

A particularly positive control over the control member 4 is obtainedbecause the strip 7 is part of an endless-belt formed by the strip andthe control member 4, the strip 7 having portions extending form thecontrol member 4 in opposite directions. The control member may also beattached to an endless belt formed by the strip. The endless belt passesover two guiding cams 8. Thus, by circulating the endless-belt 7 aroundthe guiding cams 8, the control member 4 can be displaced transverse tothe pushing direction in a direction in which its thickness varies andto vary the flow rate of pumped liquid.

According to the present example, the liquid reservoir 6 and the liquidchannel 16 can be removed and replaced with other devices. The pushingmember is also connectable to other electrical devices. In particular,the shown pushing member 3 and driving thereof are especially suited forconnection to hair trimmer for driving the hair trimmer. This allowseither to replace the liquid dispensing assembly by a hair trimmingassembly or at least provides a modular construction in which a largenumber of identical parts can be shared between different models of hairremoving apparatus having either a hair trimmer or a liquid dispensingassembly.

It should be noted that while the invention is described by way of anexample as implemented in a shaving device, the invention could likewisebe applied in other hair removing apparatus such as hair trimming orepilating devices, or in oral care devices such as toothbrushes.Furthermore, it should be noted that the above-mentioned embodimentsillustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled inthe art will be able to design many alternatives without departing fromthe scope of the appended claims. For instance, the pump may be arrangedin a channel between the liquid reservoir and the environment, togenerate a pressure in the liquid reservoir, which in turn causes liquidto be urged through the liquid channel to the liquid outlet. In theclaims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not beconstrued as limiting the claim. The word ‘comprising’ does not excludethe presence of other elements or steps than those listed in a claim.The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually differentclaims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot beused to advantage.

1. An electric personal care device for dispensing a liquid, comprising:a housing having a liquid outlet; a liquid channel leading to the liquidoutlet; a pump for causing liquid displacement through the liquidchannel to the liquid outlet; a motor operatively coupled to the devicefor driving movement of at least a movable part of the device; and acontrol structure having an inclined surface operable between at least afirst position on the inclined surface and a second position on theinclined surface; and a rod, arranged between the motor and the controlstructure, wherein the control structure is arranged between the rod anda resilient wall of the pump communicating with or part of the liquidchannel, wherein the rod is movable by the motor between a pushingposition and a return position, in which pushing position the rod keepsthe resilient wall displaced inwardly compared with a position of theresilient wall when the rod is in its return position, and wherein theinclined surface of the control structure is arranged to control thedisplacement of the resilient wall between the pushing and returnpositions of the rod such that, different amounts of displacement of theresilient wall occurs between the first and second positions on theinclined surface.
 2. An electric personal care device for dispensing aliquid, comprising: a housing having a liquid outlet; a liquid channelleading to the liquid outlet; a pump for causing liquid displacementthrough the liquid channel to the liquid outlet; a motor operativelycoupled to the device for driving movement of at least a movable part ofthe device; a transmission coupled to the motor to be driven thereby andcoupled to the pump for imparting movement to at least a movable part ofthe pump while in an ‘on’ condition, thereby causing pumping action bythe pump; and a control structure operable between at least a first anda second operating condition for dispensing liquid at different rates;wherein the control structure is arranged for controlling amounts ofmovement transmitted by the transmission to at least the movable part ofthe pump such that, in the first and second operating conditions,different amounts of movement are transmitted by the transmission to atleast the movable part of the pump, wherein the pump has a resilientwall at least partially enclosing an internal space communicating withor part of the liquid channel; the transmission further comprises apushing member which is at least partially movable between a pushingposition and a return position, in which pushing position the pushingmember keeps the resilient wall displaced inwardly with respect to theinternal space compared with a position of the resilient wall when thepushing member is in its return position; wherein the control structureis arranged to control the displacement of the resilient wall betweenthe positions associated with the pushing and return positions of thepushing member such that, in said first and second operating conditions,different amounts of displacement of the resilient wall between thepositions associated with the pushing and return positions of thepushing member are caused; and wherein said control structure comprisesa control member of which a portion is located between said pushingmember and said resilient wall, said portion between said pushing memberand said resilient wall having a different thickness in a direction fromthe pushing member to the resilient wall.
 3. A device according to claim2, wherein said control member is movable in a direction transverse tosaid direction from the pushing member to the resilient wall.
 4. Adevice according to claim 2, wherein said control member iswedge-shaped.
 5. A device according to claim 2, wherein said controlstructure further comprises a strip projecting from said control memberin a direction transverse to said direction from the pushing member tothe resilient wall.
 6. A device according to claim 5, wherein a portionof said strip remote from said control member extends along a curvecontiguous with a next operable portion extending along an operatingpath, and wherein the device has a housing of which portions directlyadjacent to said operating path extend parallel to directly adjacentportions of said operating path.
 7. A device according to claim 6,wherein at least a portion of the liquid channel is disconnectable fromand reconnectable to the device.
 8. A device according to claim 5,wherein a portion of said strip remote from said control member extendsalong a curve about said pump and contiguous with a next operableportion extending along an operating path.
 9. A device according toclaim 5, wherein the strip is part of or forms an endless-belt havingportions extending from the control member in opposite directions.
 10. Adevice according to claim 2, wherein a distal portion of the pushingmember in at least one of said pushing and return positions pushestowards said resilient wall.